Mac has to either sit or sit up or give either paw to get his drinks of water, per NILIF. Then I say "Okay!" and he tears off for his drink. I've tried saying "Oklahoma!" or "Okely-dokely!" and he won't move, but as soon as I say "Okay!" he's off to the races.

What's funny is my typical release word for my girls is "okay." Except to eat or drink. For that it's "mangia." So, I've tested them by saying okay to see what they do. They don't touch the food/water....as soon as I say "mangia" they tear into their meals....interesting what dogs know!!!!

I like all the ideas especially the word game. I am still looking for a good fenced in space in my area. No tennis courts in town. The reason I need to work off leash is because Rocky is like lipshipsattitutes Rory. He will go off sniffing and totally ignore me. Since I have put him out in my yard and work recall off lead he is doing much better. So I want to try in an unfamiliar area where I could also hide so he will become more likely to worry about where I am. He could care less where I am when outside.

Purple wrote:I'll play a game with Hopscotch. She is in a sit stay, waiting for her come command. I'll say words that sound like come, like cow, cowabunga, crow, nad some other random words. By the time I say come, she is shaking with anticipation, and practically bowls me over as she gets into her sit..We have a mini celebration, a few treats, and play the game all over again. She's having fun and learning a solid recall.The most trust inspiring recall I did was in obedience class, when we had to call our dogs, with our backs turned to them, from across a fenced field. I thought for sure she was going to bowl me over. Instead, she ran to the front of me and did a sit. Make the training fun!

Frankly if she "knows all this" then she wouldn't be letting her dog run off leash in an unfenced area when the dog does not have a solid recall.

However, if she knows this and chooses to do so anyway, then that is her decision, no? People also know it's dangerous to drive your car to work every day, and they still do it. Granted, she's making the decision for her dog and not for herself, but that still doesn't mean that it's not a decision she's knowingly made without the facts in mind.

A bad decision or a good decision, either way, if she knows the facts and temperament, it's still a decision. Neither necessarily implys ignorance to facts and temperament in and of itself, nor changes what she was initially saying.

That's fine. But if you post about a decision you made on a public forum, people are welcome to comment about it. Maryellen did not call her ignorant, she simply stated some facts and some of her opinion.

As always with this breed, what one person does affects all of us in the reality of another headline about our breed. That is undesputable fact.

Holding someone accountable is not against the rules. When someone posts that their dog has a bad recall and that they let them run loose they are going to get taken to task.

We even had a lady ask us if she could join but I dont think her cocker spaniel woulda lasted to long, plus her lil dog was a meany and threw off the whole vibe

She was lucky the Cocker Spaniel owner did not already have her dog off leash. The next time she may not be so lucky. At the park near my house, most people have their dogs off leash and yell to you from 50 feet away "don't worry, he's friendly". And often times, that dog has no manners... forget that your dog may not be friendly.

Even dogs with excellent recall are difficult to call off when in drive, especially when they are with other dogs. A dog with poor recall? I seriously doubt the dog would have even acknowledged that she called her, let alone come to her.

Michelle

Inside me is a thin woman trying to get out. I usually shut the bitch up with a martini.

That's fine. But if you post about a decision you made on a public forum, people are welcome to comment about it. Maryellen did not call her ignorant, she simply stated some facts and some of her opinion.

As always with this breed, what one person does affects all of us in the reality of another headline about our breed. That is undesputable fact.

Holding someone accountable is not against the rules. When someone posts that their dog has a bad recall and that they let them run loose they are going to get taken to task.

We even had a lady ask us if she could join but I dont think her cocker spaniel woulda lasted to long, plus her lil dog was a meany and threw off the whole vibe

She was lucky the Cocker Spaniel owner did not already have her dog off leash. The next time she may not be so lucky. At the park near my house, most people have their dogs off leash and yell to you from 50 feet away "don't worry, he's friendly". And often times, that dog has no manners... forget that your dog may not be friendly.

Even dogs with excellent recall are difficult to call off when in drive, especially when they are with other dogs. A dog with poor recall? I seriously doubt the dog would have even acknowledged that she called her, let alone come to her.

No one is arguing any of this. I'm merely pointing out that she wasn't acusing anyone of calling her ignorant, and that she had just said that she already knew everything that was brought up in the arguments against her actions.

Wow sorry to cause such a uproar. I'm truly sorry. I wasnt implying someone called me ignorant, its just another way of phrasing that I am aware of the natural behavior of the breed.
I'm sorry that you pictured us on a crowded beach with off leash dogs but its the family dogs that she has grown up around and is with almost every weekend, just like if your family dogs were playing. They are all neutered, live with lil kids, and there is virtually nobody else on the beach, If we see someone enter the beach through the one walking path we immediatly leash our dogs, we specifically go in the early am so as not to encounter anyone and when the spaniel approched us ALL of our dogs were leashed. We've never had a negative encounter but that dosnt mean we think we are above others and it cant happen. I learned most of what i know about pit bulls from these older siblings and family members who have had several. I respect all of your opinions and take them to heart.
If Rory cant play with our family dogs who else can she play with?I dont take her to the off leash dog park EVER because I cant let her off leash and she gets upset when she is leashed and others are not, this is always seemed like our safest bet, in a controlled environment, with nobody we dont know with other older, fixed well behaved dogs. I'm ALWAYS on guard so if any of you have a better suggestion other then letting them play in the back yard, because we do but the beach is just more room and again, there is hardly ever anyone there. I live in Monterey, not LA where there are millions of people.
Rory has grown up with my families dogs, letting them play at this beach is no different then letting them play at home in the backyard. Rory is the youngest, the next in line is a 4 year old neutered half pit half lab. I'm sorry to cause such trouble

rockermom wrote:Its ok Lips. On all the forums you take advice and do what you choose with it. Dont take anything personal.

Oh I agree, I've learned a lot about dogson forums, some good some bad. I just didnt want anyone to think I was a total idiot and just let her run amuck to pilage and plunder a whole beach of dogs and people, haha! My lil pirate!